A Matter of Pride
by Yazzy
Summary: When Rei is murdered by his tribe, Lee turns to Kai for help. Grudgingly, Kai agrees to let Lee stay with him, but what feelings will this spark between them? Yaoi, KaiLee.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, well, here's the start of another quite long story. And...I've been cruel again. I'm afraid I've been VERY cruel this time, but it was so I could try my hand at a KaiLee. Even if you think that pairing couldn't work, please give it a chance!

* * *

Rei opened his eyes, looking around blearily. When he saw the harsh wooden bars around him, he was puzzled for a second, then he remembered. Remembered being greeted off the plane, walking out of the aiport, and then everything going dark.

He remembered what had happened when he'd woken up- He'd been tied between two poles and interrogated, whipped and beaten when his elders, the people who had nurtured him as a child, received the answer they didn't want to hear. Everyone had looked shocked when he'd told them the truth, rearing up to scream "YES! I'M GAY! HAPPY NOW?" Before collapsing back to his knees, sobbing.

With a certain amount of horror, Rei realised that the reason he had woken up was that someone was outside his cage, staring in at him. He sat up and looked out. "Mariah?"

"How could you? How could you do this to me? To all of us?"

"I...I'm sorry for hurting you. But I am what I am and I can't change that."

"Was it Max?"

"No."

"Was it Tyson? I swear, I'll-"

"It...wasn't Tyson. Isn't Tyson."

"Who was it? Who turned you into...into a freak?" Rei turned his face away, tears gathering in his eyes.

"It's Kai. And I still love him."

"No! He's brainwashed you! You're not gay! You're supposed to marry me!" Rei looked back at Mariah's accusing eyes and sighed.

"Mariah...I'm sorry. But I love Kai, and I'll always love him, and if that means I have to die then I'll die."

"But I love you!"

"Then...do you understand why I can't just deny it?" Mariah gave a growl of anger.

"Did you sleep with him?"

"A couple of times."

"I wish I'd never fallen in love with you at all! You disgust me!"

Rei blinked, his amber eyes empty, as they had been ever since he'd woken up in his cage. He'd been given a week. A week in which he could repent, and if he wasn't prepared to do that, a week in which he could prepare himself for death. And now there were only two days left.

It had been nice, despite the circumstances, to sit and watch the village bustling around him. It was like being young again. Every so often, people would stop and stare at him, some with pity, some with anger, and some with downright disgust. Disgust, just like the disgust plain on Mariah's face as she stared at him. "You're wrong, all of you. It's not...disgusting. Or it doesn't seem that way when you're in love. Will you tell him, after you kill me?"

"Never! I'm going to tell him that you never want to see him again because you hate him so much!"

"And what will that change? He would never believe you anyway. I promised I'd phone him two days ago. Obviously, I didn't phone. Kai's a paranoid kind of person. He'll wonder what's happened to me. He knows I wouldn't break a promise to him, so he'll automatically think something's happened to me." Rei wiggled his bare toes, smiling to himself. "When I die, Mariah...will you be happy?"

"Yes! GAY! HEATHEN!" Screeched Mariah, before stalking off, leaving Rei on his own. They'd taken his watch off him, and all his clothes apart from his trousers and boxers, but judging by the number of people running around he'd say it was about...midday. Time for...

"Rei?"

"Hey Lee."

"I...brought..."

"Thanks." Rei accepted the parcel of food Lee passed to him through the bars. "How are you?" Lee shook his head.

"Isn't that what I should be asking you?"

"Me? I'm the same as I was yesterday."

Lee sank to the floor, his back to the bars, and sighed. "I don't see why you can't just pretend for long enough to get away from here."

"I'm not going to say that I'm not gay. Because I am. I shouldn't have to pretend to be what I'm not. Just...promise me that when they kill me, you'll tell Kai the truth. I know Mariah won't, and I want him to know...I don't ever want him to think I abandoned him."

"I'll tell him. God, Rei...I'll miss you..."

"I'll miss you too. If I don't get another chance to say this...please have a happy life. Find a wonderful woman and marry her, and if you ever come to question your sexuality...don't come home. Thank you...for being there for me. And...they took Driger, but even if they don't give him to you, I want you to have him. I...love you...in a platonic sort of way. And don't be angry with Mariah. I know I've hurt her, and maybe she's wrong to think the things she does but it's for a good reason." Rei's hand slipped through the bars and patted Lee's once.

Lee nodded and sniffed. "I hope they make it quick, Rei...you don't deserve to suffer..." Rei nodded and opened the food parcel. Watermelon, mushrooms and some nuts and berries, with a small flask of what Rei presumed was water. As he started to nibble the seeds out of the watermelon, Lee was called away.

Rei spent the rest of the afternoon seeing how far away from his cage he could spit watermelon seeds. The cage itself was about five feet high and the same across- a cube of thick bamboo bars, with gaps in between them, just about large enough to fit his head through, but not the rest of him. When he'd run out of seeds, he started humming, tapping his fingers on the dusty cage floor and clicking his tongue. Some of the people passing frowned at him, but he'd realised that there really wasn't anything more they could do to him. After all, in two days he was going to die, so he figured that they'd done their worst already.

When he got bored of taunting and annoying the locals with his tuneless humming and drumming, he curled up on his side and went to sleep.

* * *

"Are they the knives you're going to kill me with?" Rei asked, leaning as far through the bars as he could and giggling. "Are you going to stab me or just cut me until I bleed to death? Huh? Tell me, I hate waiting to know things!"

An elder who was standing nearby glared. "Pay no heed to the gay. It's becoming deranged." Rei laughed even more, until tears ran down his cheeks.

"Heed me? Heed me? Hah, what's the point if I'm going to die?" The two people who were sharpening knives a few metres away from his cage tried to carry on, but Rei continued to speak. "Do you know where me and Kai went on our first date? A gay bar. It was...oh, it was just like heaven. All those hot, sweaty, half-naked people dancing, all pressed up close and every single one of them gay. All of them checking me out, but I was Kai's. I let him have me. All of me. He was so good...better than any of you would even dare to imagine.

"In Russia, it's more relaxed. Well, more relaxed about gays, in some places, anyway. Actually, a lot of Kai's friends are gay- Tala, Bryan, Spencer. Even some of my team are! Funny though, I don't see any of them being put to death for liking penises!" Everyone around looked shocked and slightly sickened, and Rei smirked. Much as he refused to admit it to himself, waiting to die was driving him slowly crazy. "You don't like that word, do you? Penis. Penis, penis penis. Erect penis. Sucking on a penis. Man sucking man, man on man, penis, backside, pain, pleasure, and hot, sweet, loving, passionate sex." Rei giggled and sat down inside his cage. "Shame on you, Rei, you say, for loving another man. For kissing another man. For being made love to by the most wonderful man on the planet. Shame on you for daring to be honest, for telling us the truth!"

Everyone had stopped and was staring at him, rapt. "Shame on you for being a man-lover. A gay. A puff. Can you think of any more?" He went straight on without waiting for an answer. "The word I use for it though, in my own head, is 'happy'. That's what Kai makes me. I mean yeah, when I had sex with him it was amazing, but he's wonderful in so many other ways. Like when we just sit together, holding hands, not talking, just holding hands, or when he cooks for me, or when he pulls me onto his lap and tells me he loves me."

The elder present, a wizened old man, glared even harder. "Stop it from talking. It is a twisted, heathen sinner."

"Go on then! Gag me or whatever! But you can't gag my mind! You can't reach in through my ears and stop me from thinking! I love him, and I'll love him until I die! Granted that's not very long, but I have honour, and I have dignity! I won't stop loving him just because you tell me it's wrong! And I'm not an it, I'm a he, and I'm a he who likes other he's! If that means I have to die then I have to die!"

And then someone crept into the cage behind him and knocked him out.

* * *

Damn, I'm cruel. Mind, I'm in a pretty malicious frame of mind at the moment because of all my stupid exams! 

Next Chapter: Ouchies for Rei, and an angry Kai.

Anyway, R&R please!


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here's the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy it. Here are all the replies to the reviews:

Kaei kon: -sighs- Well, I'm sorry to say Rei gets a lot of bad treatment in this chapter. I'm glad you're going to at least give it a try...I was surprised when I started writing the KaiLee bits, they actually make a kind of sweet couple...

Kari-Kari a.k.a Super Chicken Masta: I agree, chickens rock! But I'm afraid Kai and Rei don't get to stay together. I write a lot of KaiRei, so it's refreshing to write something a bit different every now and then. This story is going to end up a KaiLee. If you're looking for KaiRei fics, you could always check my profile. There are plenty there, but please, give Kai and Lee a chance before you dismiss them completely! They're cute together! Or...at least, I think so...

Skimmie: Um, well, there's not a lot of good up next! There's actually quite a lot of meanness and angst...but hey, what's the world without a little angst?

Kiko cat: I know, I know it's cruel, but there's a lot of cuteness to go with the angst in this chapter!

Endoh Chiaki: Yes. I'm afraid Rei is going to die. And they took Driger off him when they took all his other stuff, bless him…

Ellen: It's not terrible, I thought it was quite funny too, deranged little Rei ranting about the joys of homosexuality to his homophobic tribe…ah well. It's not like I'm any nicer to the poor little kitty in this chapter…

SaFire flamE: Poor, honourable Rei…who will quite soon be a poor, honourable -dead- Rei…

Lil-inu: Why? Because I needed a change from KaiRei, but I didn't want to break Rei's heart so I killed him off instead…I couldn't bear to write something where Kai cheats on his little Rei-Rei…well…I might, someday…but not right now. I love KaiRei too much for that!

Mourir: I think I just have a lot of examples around me of just how horrible people can be to gay people. One guy at my school came out and said he was gay and everyone hassled him SO much…and in my town, the word 'gay' classes as an insult. I honestly would love to see the faces of some of the people I know if they found out about the stuff I write… Ah, but Rei-Rei isn't dead yet, so I can give him more angst…hoho, angst!

Yumi-chan: Wow, I'm glad you like it so much! I'm a bit off with my posting at the minute, because I have a lot of GCSE exams to do, but I'll try and post as soon as I can!

MikeyWaysGirl: It seems odd, but some people really act like that around gay people…

Tenshi-Tara: Um…something like that. But, like in virtually all of my other stories, there'll be a hell of a lot of angst along the way...hope you're fond of inner turmoil…

Animeobsession: Wow, you're so nice! Your review just cheered me up so much- I've just had a history exam, and was horrified to find that my history teacher hadn't taught me half the things I needed to know! But your review made me feel better- at least one person still likes the things I write!

* * *

Rei woke again when it was light, and someone was tapping on the bars of his cage. "Rei?"

"Hn? Lee?"

"Rei...it-it's been a week..." A heavy knot of apprehension clenched inside Rei's stomach.

"Is it time?"

"They're waiting for you..."

Rei nodded and stood up as far as the cage would allow, stepping out into the sunlight as Lee opened the locked door of the cage. After a week of not really going anywhere, Rei's legs were weak and it was hard for him to move, so Lee had to help him. "Lee...remember what I said about being happy." He said quietly as they started to walk.

"Jesus, Rei...how can you be so calm about this?" Lee asked incredulously, tears spilling from the corners of his eyes.

"Because...I'm not afraid to die." As they turned a corner, Rei saw the silent crowd that had come to watch him, saw the ropes that they would tie him with, saw the knives, sharpened to deadly perfection, and the frame to which he would be tied until he died.

He walked forwards, slowly and surely, nose in the air. After about a minute, he was there, and then, without speaking, two of the taller men grabbed Rei and held him while others tied him up. They had obviously been expecting a struggle, but Rei simply closed his eyes. "I love him. Killing me isn't going to change that."

"Then you refuse to repent?"

"I have nothing to repent." Rei said defiantly. His arms had been lashed to the top corners of the square frame, and his legs were bound together, toes resting lightly on the floor. The elder glared into his eyes.

"Do you repent lying with another man?"

"No."

There was a sharp intake of breath from the crowd. "White Tigers, say your goodbyes to the heathen. It dies as soon as you have done so."

Rei closed his eyes. "I'm not a heathen." He whispered. "You're the heathen. I never did anything but bring pride to this village. I was worthy of Driger. I gave it life. I was stronger...than any of the others. I brought you pride, and all you bring me is death!"

"Rei..." Rei opened his eyes again to find Kevin looking up at him, confused. "Rei...why-?"

"I love Kai. I won't lie about it, and I won't hide from it. Never let it be said that I was ashamed of loving Kai Hiwatari! I love him, and I'll always love him, through life, through death, forever!" Rei yelled, rearing back his head and tugging on his bonds.

"I'll...miss you Rei..."

"Don't. I'll be watching over you." Kevin nodded and sniffed, and was replaced by Gary. Rei smiled up at him. "I hope when you're older you find a wife who'll cook for you all the time." Gary nodded, reached out and patted Rei's shoulder, then shuffled off to join Kevin at the side of the frame. Lee came forward next, the tears in his eyes finally spilling over as he embraced Rei as best he could while Rei was tied up.

"Rei..." He whispered. "After this...I won't stay here. I-I think I might be-"

"Lee, whatever you do from now on..." Rei said loudly, cutting off Lee's words in case someone overheard. "Be happy. Do anything you want to, but be happy. If you find a woman you love, marry her. And if you find a man you love..." Rei laughed bitterly. "Don't ever come home."

"Rei...I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. You've been like a brother to me..." Lee tightened his hug for a second then let go, looking over his shoulder at Mariah before going over to Gary and Kevin.

Rei could see the tears in Mariah's eyes, could see her bitten nails and her shaking hands. "Mariah..." Before he knew what had hit him, Mariah leapt at him, throwing her arms round his neck and bursting into tears.

"Rei I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I only told them because I thought they'd make you love me! I didn't mean for this to happen! I don't want you to die!"

"Mariah-"

"This is all my fault! I'm sorry Rei! I'm sorry!"

"Mariah!" Rei said sharply. Mariah fell silent and looked up at him, snivelling. "I don't blame you. I know how hard it is...when you love someone. It's okay. Don't grow up with guilt in your mind about this...but please don't ever be ashamed of loving me. If I wasn't gay...there wouldn't have been anyone else I wanted but you. You've always been there for me. I love you. Just...not in the way you want me to."

Mariah clung to him, sobbing, and Rei leaned forwards, kissing her on the forehead. "Is that all? Because I don't want to wait for too long. It's cold standing here in only my trousers..."

"No! I don't want to let you go! I don't want you to die!" Mariah shook her head, kissed him on the cheek, and held onto him even more tightly.

"Mariah, you have to let go."

"No! I won't! If I'm not finished saying goodbye then they can't kill you!" A pair of hands grabbed Mariah and yanked her away. It was Lee, tears still marking out a path down his face.

"Don't be stupid, Mariah! At least let him die with dignity! It's the least you can do, to be strong and watch without turning your face away!"

Rei bowed his head, closing his eyes again. "Thank you both." He heard footsteps clatter towards him, and the clash of metal on metal.

"For the last time, heathen, do you repent lying with another man? Do you repent saying that you love this Kai Hiwatari?"

"NO!" Rei screamed. "You'll never make me say I don't love him!"A crippling pain whirled across his stomach and he winced. "You'll never be able to stop me feeling the way I feel about him!" Another slice, and another, and another. Rei could hear his blood dripping onto the floor, could feel it slipping down his torso, soaking into his trousers. "I won't stop loving him! Not even if you shed every last drop of my blood!" He opened his eyes and looked down at the man holding the knife. It was Lee's father... Of course... The tribe's assassin...

"I love Kai Hiwatari! I will love him forever!"

The wizened elder stepped forwards. "End it now. We have listened to enough of it's heathen ramblings." Rei barely had time to digest that statement before the knife was plunged into his chest and drawn out again, only to plunge back in and stay there. He opened his mouth to slur an insult but closed it again when he heard a voice.

"NO! REI!"

A flash of purple and black hurtled across the square. It stopped by Rei and only then were people able to recognize it. "Kai!" Mariah gasped. Kai ignored her.

"Rei...Oh my God, Rei...I'm sorry...if I'd come sooner..." Kai produced a knife and slashed the ropes holding Rei. Rei fell into his arms, head swimming.

"Kai...I'm so glad I could see you one last time...I love you. And I'm sorry, but I wasn't prepared to lie about my love for you. I chose to die instead. I'm sorry... Kai tilted him back in his arms and started to cry.

"Rei...you can't leave me...you can't leave me alone again..." The Russian sank to the floor, cradling Rei's head in his lap. With an effort, Rei reached up to wipe the tears away from the pale face above him. "Hey, hey, shh. It's okay. You'll find someone else. I want you to. You have to be happy after I die, Kai, I don't want you to cry about me..." Rei coughed, feeling something warm trickle over his lips. "She didn't mean for all this to happen...she just wanted me to love her...I don't blame her, Kai, because I might have done the same in her position..." Kai smashed his fist into the ground in frustration.

"I'll kill them! I'll kill them all!"

"No, Kai...they just don't understand, that's all. They don't understand that a man can love another man... Would you kiss me one last time?" Kai obliged, his tears dripping down onto Rei's face as they kissed for the last time, passionately and demandingly. "I love you, Kai. I love you more than you could ever know...don't worry...I'm not afraid..." Whispered Rei, pulling away slowly.

"Oh Rei...I love you too..." Rei nodded then twitched, body stiffening and then lying still. "REI!" Kai screamed. Rei didn't respond, only lay there in Kai's arms, face impassive, eyes shut. Kai stroked his lifeless cheek and then stood up. "How could you-? Why-? Was it because he was with me? Was it because he was gay?" He asked the crowd. No-one seemed to be able to answer him.

With horror, he looked down at Rei's corpse. "You killed him... You killed him for loving another man? Are you STUPID?" The elder glowered at him and beckoned Lee's father forwards.

"Are you Kai Hiwatari? The one who corrupted Rei?"

"Corrupted him? What, by loving him? If that's corruption then yes, I did! I'm Kai, what about it?" He stood motionlessly, his eyes stinging with tears. He looked down at his hands, where smudges of Rei's blood lingered. "How could you kill him?" He demanded. "He did everything for you! He trained and practised all the time so he could make you proud of him! Was it really worth so little to you that you could kill him for loving another man?"

The elder glared. "To lie with another man is a heathen practice. We punish it with death here."

"What, and you think you'll kill me for it as well? Don't kid yourself, you old bastard." Kai's hand flashed to his waistband and pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Fedya, bring it down." A strange noise rang into the air and a helicopter appeared, coming down to land beside Kai. The villagers watched in shock as Kai picked up Rei's body and got into the helicopter before it rose again, rose up in to the sky and eventually disappeared from view.

* * *

Aww, I killed him…poor Rei-Rei.

Next chapter: Someone turns up on Kai's doorstep asking for help and Kai can't bring himself to turn them away…

R&R please!


	3. Chapter 3

I'm really sorry, but this chapter is incredibly short. I've had two exams toady- German and English Combined, and I'm frazzled in the head. My wrist feels like I've tried to chisel through it and my brain is smooshed... So this is short. Like I said. However, I can always find the time to reply to reviews- you write me, so I'll write back!

Endoh Chiaki: Yup. I'm really good at making you all sad, killing off the characters like I always do...

Kiko cat: Cool. Well, not cool that you cried, obviously... But cool that you liked it!

Lil-inu: It was cheesy, but I'm a sucker for things like that...

Helen: Bye Bye Die Rei. BBDR. Heh, I write such a lot of BBD fics, it's nice to know people actually LIKE some of them...

Kari-Kari a.k.a Super Chicken: Heh, chickens... And of course Rei will still be with Kai! I have to make him feel guilty before I let him be happy!

BloodyShadows-D.A: Here's the update. Sorry it's so short. And these replies are too...God, my brain hurts...thank you for reviewing!

MikaTanaka: Yep, poor Rei. Actually, I've killed most of my favourite characters now except Bryan. Muaha, he's next!

Ellen: Sniffles for Rei! I felt sad for him too. It's ironic- I told someone that I couldn't bear to make Kai cheat on Rei, but that inspired me to start writing that very thing!

Curtis Zidane Ziraa: Have some happy! Actually...well, this chapter isn't all happy, but it's kind of sweet...

Animeobsession: Naw, it's okay to cry. Thanks for reviewing!

Tenshi-Tara: Nah, Kai's dominant. Always the dominant (so now I'll have to write one where he is!).

Glitter-Cat91: It's a happy ending, I promise! There'll be lots of angst, as with all my fics, but the end will be happy!

Cheese-4-eva: Um, I can't do emails at the moment. Not only am I knee-deep in exam revision, but my brother wired the email account to his login and he deletes my emails. But I'll reply here: Rei's very, very dead, so no, Kai won't be able to talk to him again. At least outside of his mind... And you;ll have to read on to find out who the person is! Last of all, yes. I do like cheese. Especially cheddar and edam.

Chapter...it's down there somewhere. Happy scrolling.

* * *

A few of months later, Kai was at home when the doorbell rang. He looked up from his book as, a few seconds later, his butler brought someone into his study. Someone who he recognized. Someone who, frankly, he had no desire to see. "What are you doing here? Get out of my house!"

"Kai...I-I..." Lee started to cry. "Kai...I need your help...I don't know who else to ask...I don't know anyone else who would have a hope of understanding..."

"What if I don't want to understand? In case you've forgotten, you killed the only person who I've ever truly loved! What makes you think I'd want to help you!"

"Kai...I didn't kill him..."

"You didn't stop them!"

"How could I have? What should I have done? If I'd said anything I would have been strung up beside him and both of us would have died!"

"Then you should have died! You betrayed him!"

"Do you think he would have wanted that?" Kai was forced to agree. Rei wouldn't have wanted any of his friends to die.

"What do you want, then?" He snapped, looking over Lee critically. He was well wrapped up against the chill of the Moscow weather, with a long black coat and a grey scarf.

"I...I'm gay."

"And?"

"I don't know what to do! I can't go home, they'll kill me! Where can I go? What can I do?"

"Why do you think I'll know?"

"Rei trusted you. He said you were a good person. I-I haven't got anyone else to turn to. How could I tell Mariah, or Kevin? How could I go home and tell my mother and my father? It was my father who killed Rei, and he'd have to kill me too! I don't want to die like that! I never agreed with what they did to Rei and I know I don't want that to happen to me! It sounds selfish and weak but I'm scared! I'll never be as strong as Rei was!" Lee sobbed.

Kai stood up and took hold of his shoulders, intending to push him out of the room, but he found his arms instead wrapping around Lee's shoulders and back, holding him tightly. "No-one else would understand..." Kai bit his lip.

"You...can stay here for a while. Until you work out what you're going to do next." Lee sniffed and thanked him, and Kai immediately felt his defences spring up again. "I'm not doing this because I forgive you or because I want to help you! I'm doing this because Rei would have wanted me to!"

* * *

And so, Lee stayed with Kai. Kai put him in the guest room next to his own bedroom, assigned him a maid, and expected Lee to leave him alone. How wrong he was. He was quite surprised to discover that Lee was a very good cook, as good as if not better than Rei had been. Being a naturally early riser, he would get up and make Kai breakfast, and they would eat together in Kai's room.

It was on one such occasion that It happened.

* * *

"Kai?"

"Good morning." Lee came into the room, a tray balanced on one hand, and came over to Kai's bed, sitting down beside the Russian and holding out a plate of pancakes, smothered in butter and syrup, just the way Kai liked them. They sat in silence while they ate, and Kai couldn't help but notice that Lee had a smudge of flour on one of his cheeks, obviously from when he'd been cooking. As Lee took his plate and put it down on the plush red carpet, Kai shifted closer. Lee turned again and found Kai's face mere inches from his own. One long-fingered hand reached up and wiped across his cheek.

"You...had flour on your cheek..." Kai swallowed, eyes locked with Lee's, and then found himself leaning forwards, lips pressing against Lee's, tongue slipping into the neko-jin's mouth. After a moment of paralyzing shock, Lee kissed back, until they both ended up sprawled on the bed, Kai straddling Lee, Lee's hands grasping Kai's waist. They broke apart slowly, lips swollen from the ferocity of the kiss. "Kai..." Breathed Lee. He suddenly seemed to realise where his hands were and moved them, bringing them up to stretch out above his head. "What-?"

Kai blinked, shaken by what had happened, and then got off Lee hastily. "That...was wrong. Lets...just forget it ever happened..." He looked away, trying to forget how sinfully good Lee's lips had felt against his own, how good Lee had tasted, and how much Lee's deep-throated moans had made him shiver. Lee nodded and stood up. "I...um...I'm going to get dressed." Kai swallowed.

"Yeah. I...have some stuff I need to do in town today, so I won't be back till later on. If...you need anything, just ask one of the maids or something..." As Lee left, Kai flopped back onto his pillows. He could feel himself shaking...but was it out of fear, desire, both or neither? With a sigh, he looked around at the cream walls surrounding him. For the first time since Rei's death, he started to wonder what it would be like to be with someone again...

* * *

Next Chapter: Cake and strange dreams.

R&R please, I need cheering up!


	4. Chapter 4

Whew! It's the weekend! Means I have a few days to recover in while I wait for my Chemistry exam to come and murder me! I swear, I know NOTHING I'm supposed to... One of my friends is getting private tutoring (her parents can afford it!) and she says we haven't been taught half of the syllabus...ah well. I was always going to fail chemistry... Thank you all for your reviews, they cheered me up so much! Hugs for all of you!

Lil-inu: I don't know if it's all that great, but I -will- keep on posting!

BloodyShadows-D.A: I didn't think when I started that I would actually like KaiLee, but as I've been going through it, I've warmed to it. They're cute together!

Delores L: It's kind of ironic...I killed Rei off because I couldn't bear to have Lee and Kai together with Rei around, and I didn't want to make Kai cheat on Rei or anything...but after I said that to someone I started writing one where Kai -does- cheat on Rei...oh well...

Ellen: Cake! Cake's good. And it does suck for Lee, for a while, anyway...

Ice Spirit: Nah, I don't mind. I was going to change the summary and pairings when I posted the last chapter, but my brain just wouldn't work- I was frazzled off exams, and I just couldn't think. So I changed it when I posted this chapter! And with the whole KaiLee thing...yeah, I can see where you're coming from with that, but I still think they're cute. But then I'm a sucker for most yaoi, whatever the pairing!

Tenshi-Tara: Mariah makes an appearance in the next chapter. The White Tigers don't actually know that Lee's gay yet, they think he ran away because he was upset over Rei. They don't want him dead...yet. And I don't think I'll involve any one else with this...I like it as just Kai and Lee on their own!

Animeobsession: Heh, I think I'll use that 'setting on a washing machine' thing... Have a nice time brushing people!

Endoh Chiaki: Ah, well I think they'd probably all have changed a bit after what happened to Rei. Him and Lee were best friends, and it would affect him to see that friends sliced to death... And like I said before, they don't want Lee dead...yet.

MafiaNerd-Used to be jadestar123: Ooh, I -was- stressed. But I'm alright now, my Dad's been spoiling me all day, and I got to go chocolate shopping for my friend's birthday, so of course I didn't forget to buy myself something! And now I'm waiting to watch Dr. Who, which is on in about an hour, so my best friend can squeal down my ear about it...

Now, the chapter! Oh, and Lee speaks Russian at the beginning because I figure he'd have picked up a little, seeing as they're -in- Russia...

* * *

"Dobre vyecher, Kai." Said Lee, smiling as Kai came into the kitchen, where he was baking. Kai walked over and leaned on the worktop beside him, smiling slightly. "Good evening to you too. What are you making?"

"A cake."

"What kind of cake?"

"I don't know. I haven't looked through your cupboards properly yet. Do you have any chocolate powder, or vanilla essence?"

"I honestly have no idea. I don't cook very often. Well, I don't cook at all. I would be fat as a whale by now if I didn't have a good metabolism. After Rei..." Kai swallowed. "After Rei died, I just lived on microwave meals." Lee looked slightly shocked and turned, mixing bowl under one arm, spoon in hand.

"You don't know how to cook?" Kai blushed slightly and loosened his tie.

"I...know how to cook, I just...can't do it. I could bring several recipes to mind...but when I try to cook them, they just end up burnt." Lee suddenly held out the spoon and the bowl, and Kai looked at him strangely. "What?"

"I'm going to teach you to cook."

"Can't it wait? I spent all morning in a meeting with a boring old man, and the afternoon with his brother!"

"Cooking's relaxing." Kai looked doubtful, then took the bowl and spoon. "Stir it until there aren't any lumps left, I'm going cupboard hunting..." With no further comment, Lee hopped up onto the worktop and opened the first cupboard, while Kai wrestled with the cake mixture.

"Kai, would you rather have chocolate, ginger, or vanilla?" Lee hopped back down again, holding three little boxes of flavouring that Kai didn't remember ever buying. He put down the bowl and licked the spoon absently, considering it.

"Chocolate." Lee tossed one of the boxes onto the worktop and then climbed up again, replacing the others.

"Put about half of it in the bowl and stir it till it's all mixed in." Kai obeyed, while Lee watched him critically. After a minute or so, Lee made him stop and held out a cake tin. Kai poured in the mixture, then stood back. "Now what?"

"You put it in the oven and wait until it tells you it's done."

"Huh?"

"Well, when it smells right, you'll know it's done."

"You have a more sensitive nose than me." Protested Kai. Lee waved a hand carelessly.

"Just put it in the oven and stop fussing." As Kai gingerly slid the tin into the oven, Lee tidied up, sticking the pots in the sink. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the pot of chocolate flavouring and picked it up, getting up onto the top again and putting it back with the others. He turned to get down, and slipped on a smudge of butter on the worktop. Kai looked up in time to see Lee falling, and panicked, dashing over and catching Lee just as he was about to hit the floor.

The neko-jin looked up at him and smiled. "Thanks..." Kai nodded, but didn't let go; his hands were clasped around Lee's waist, and the neko-jin's was resting against his bent knee. "Kai?" Kai blinked, then leaned over and kissed Lee's cheek, then the other one, before moving down to his lips, showering the delicate curves with butterfly kisses. After a while he moved, pressing Lee to the floor and leaning over him on his hands and knees, trailing kisses up Lee's neck and jawline. Lee submitted to Kai's lips, moaning softly as Kai nipped and licked at his skin.

"Kai...oh God..." Kai lowered himself so that he was sitting on top of Lee, hands either side of the neko-jin's shoulders, chest to chest with the beautiful cat before him. It was strange, really- to Kai, Rei had always been a kitten, someone to be babied, but Lee was like a panther or a lion...forceful and powerful, dangerous and alluring... Lee was no kitten, he was a cat. Kai found himself appreciating the difference while feeling somehow as if he was betraying Rei.

After teasing Lee for a while longer, Kai locked lips with him again, and oh, it was as good as it had been before, if not better. Lee writhed beneath him and moaned, arms winding around Kai's back and crushing them together, so tightly that Kai could feel the warmth of Lee's skin through his shirt, could feel the skittering beat of the neko-jin's heart as they delved deeper into each other.

When lack of air became a major issue, Kai broke away, cheeks flushed, panting. "Lee..." His fingers scrabbled with the buttons on Lee's shirt and tore it open, parting the green fabric to leave Lee's perfect chest on display. Lee in turn unbuttoned Kai's shirt, loosening his tie fully and hurling it away before reaching out and stroking Kai's skin. Kai gasped as Lee's fingers grazed over one of his nipples, and leaned forward again, recapturing the swollen lips that were just sitting there, begging to be nibbled, sucked and kissed.

Without either of them really realising it, they started rocking their bodies together, desperate to be closer, closer than close, to be one. Kai was about to suggest they continue upstairs, when Lee suddenly broke away from him, coughing. "The cake!" They struggled up, and after a few seconds confusion Lee pulled the cake out of the oven, wafting away the clouds of black smoke that rolled off it. When the smoke cleared, Kai started laughing. "I -told- you I always burn the things I cook!" Lee looked down at the blackened chunk of burnt cake and smiled, putting it beside the sink.

"I suppose I'll have to keep cooking for you until you stop burning things..." Kai nodded, eyes fixed on the entirely pleasant sight of Lee's bare chest. He reached over and pushed the open shirt back, removing it entirely and dropping it to the floor, shrugging off his own and winding an arm around Lee's waist, looking down at the slightly shorter neko-jin with lust burning in his eyes. "Lee..." Lee swallowed nervously.

"Kai...I've never actually...not with another man...well...not with anyone..."

"It's okay...I'll be gentle..." Lee looked deep into Kai's eyes, then leaned over, whispering.

"Make love to me, Kai..." Kai shuddered, by that point too absorbed in how much he wanted to be inside Lee to suggest they went upstairs. As he was about to relieve Lee of his trousers, he stopped suddenly. It was Lee's first time...they shouldn't be doing it on the kitchen floor if it was his first time...it wasn't right, somehow.

Kai grabbed Lee by the hands, kissing him as he led him up the stairs, all the time tugging Lee towards his bedroom, back to the crimson sheets they'd lain on together that morning. The stairs and landing were swathed in darkness, but they failed to notice that as they collapsed into Kai's bedroom and onto the bed, bodies desperately seeking friction. Kai reached over and switched out the light, wondering how loudly he could get Lee to moan before the night was out...

* * *

Kai awoke the next morning feeling intensely guilty. Lee was asleep beside him, chest rising and falling slowly as he breathed. He was all curled up, into a sort of oval. He was... Kai looked away quickly. He was lying the same way as Rei had used to...when he'd still been alive. Not for the first time, Kai wondered if he was in some way replacing Rei with Lee. It felt that way, sometimes- Lee would do something or say something that would remind him of Rei, and he would start to question himself. He had been doing so even before they had...

Kai looked down at Lee and smiled. Replacement or not, the night they'd spent together had been...amazing. The way Lee had touched him...the way Lee had reacted to his touches...the sheer wondrousness of being inside that lithe, feline body...of hearing Lee call his name, begging for more...

As Kai was reliving the night before, Lee woke up and, feeling strong arms wrapped around him, started to purr softly. Rei had purred, only...Lee seemed to have a deeper, louder purr than Rei had ever had. But then... Kai felt tears sting his eyes. Rei had been so delicate and gentle...he hadn't deserved what had happened to him...no-one deserved that kind of punishment...

As if sensing Kai's distress, Lee turned. "Kai? Are you okay?"

"No..." Kai started to cry, and Lee folded his arms around him.

"What's the matter?"

"I was just...remembering..."

"I'm sorry."

"Hm?"

"Well...it's because I'm here, isn't it? I remind you of him." Kai nodded, burying his face in the crook of Lee's neck. "I've been thinking...maybe it's time I moved out of here. I was thinking of going to America, or England maybe..."

"No...I don't want you to go..."

"But...if all I'm ever going to do is remind you about Rei...well...it wouldn't be right."

"It's not reminding, it's comparing! I keep comparing you to Rei and hating myself because sometimes I feel like I'm using you to replace him and sometimes I think I love you more than I loved him! I'm confused! I don't know what I feel any more!" Kai cried, clinging to Lee tightly, fingers digging into Lee's skin.

"Kai...stop crying...we've all...changed a lot since they killed him. I know I have. Mariah has, Kevin has, even Gary has. You were in love with him, it's only natural that you can't pin down your feelings any more...I find it hard too...but I understand how you feel...maybe more than you understand it yourself." Lee sniffed. "You didn't have to watch him sit there in that cage, slowly driving himself mad...waiting to die...and there was nothing any of us could do...they kept calling him 'it' and 'heathen', and saying that preferring men was disgusting...and that did nothing for me at all, considering that at that point I was starting to question myself.

"I got quieter...I suppose that hasn't all worn off...I don't think I'll ever be the person I used to be. You'll never be the person you used to be, and you'll never have all the things you had back then... You've done so much for me, Kai...if you want me to do anything for you then I'll do it. If you want me to stay, I'll stay, but if I'm only going to hurt you..."

"Can I think about it? I can't...it's all messed up inside my head..." Lee nodded, leaned over and kissed Kai softly, then left the room.

* * *

That night, Kai had a dream. He was standing in the square where Rei had died, only this time it was him who was tied up, him who was lashed between the posts. Rei appeared in front of him, smiling. "Hello, Kai."

"Rei..."

"I...begged the people up there to give me a few minutes. You're dreaming right now, but I'm not a dream, sort of. I...just wanted you to know that you're not replacing me with Lee. You know it yourself, really. That's why you've been comparing, because you want to find differences, only you keep finding similarities, don't you?"

Kai nodded dumbly. "But we're so different... You need to see that, Kai. Sure, we're both neko-jin, and we have the same hair colour, and we both purr, but those are tiny things. Look at Lee's personality- it's a million miles away from mine. And I don't mind you being together, I know you've been worried about what I'd think of you and Lee going out, and I don't mind!

"I know I'm biased in his favour, but Lee will never let you down. He's never going to cheat on you, or treat you badly, or unfairly. If you're still not sure, think about how you felt last night. If you were replacing me with him, it would have been my name you were calling, not his." Kai stared at him, and he sighed. "Kai, haven't you realised yet? You've fallen in love with him. And, if you're still as totally dense as you used to be, he loves you too. That's why he'd leave to stop you from hurting when really he has no idea what he could do or where he could go! Stop worrying and do what your heart tells you!"

"But...you..."

"I want you to be happy. I want you all to be happy, you, Lee, Mariah, Kevin, Gary...and if you and Lee being together makes you both happy, then I don't care! Just don't let Lee go home, ever again. Don't let him leave you because he'd end up back there, it's the only place he knows, and if he went back, they'd find out...do you want to see Lee slashed to death as well?" Kai shook his head. "If he feels the need to tell them...make him send a letter. Please...don't let them do to him what they did to me..." Kai shook his head and Rei came closer, hugging him before fading away entirely.

* * *

Lee awoke in the middle of the night, startled when a cold hand grasped his waist. He turned, blinking sleepily and giving a soft mew of protest at being woken up so suddenly.

"Shh, go back to sleep, Lee..."

"Oh...Kai...s'only you..." With a purr of contentment, Lee nuzzled his way into Kai's arms and went back to sleep. Kai watched him for a few minutes, then closed his eyes, resting his head against Lee's.

* * *

Next Chapter: Kai and Lee talk, and Mariah comes to visit...

R&R please!


	5. Chapter 5

Well, after that whole site not showing review things, here's the new chapter! Replies to those reviews which I had to email the mods about to even see:

Endoh Chiaki: Yeah, Rei had to come back and set Kai straight, but he ain't coming back no more! Muaha!

Tenshi-Tara: In this fic, Mariah is his sister. And she's not a nice sister either!

Darkangelintheshadows: You thinks right- I made Mariah a bit evil, but I don't like her anyway- she gets in the way of all the good Rei yaoi!

BloodyShadows: Yup, horrible Mariah, come all the way to Russia to torture her brother.

Kaei kon: Well I can't say I'm entirely happy about your friend not asking permission- if she ever wants to translate any of my stuff, tell her to ask, or I might end up reporting her- I'm very picky about people using my stuff since someone plagiarized my Initial D fiction. However, seeing as she credited me, I suppose it's okay. Can you give me the id number of the story she posted, so I can have a look at it? Also, tell her to come and ASK if she wants to translate the other one. If you could give me her pen-name that'd be good as well.

MikeyWaysgirl: He can't! That's why this story is a KaiLee!

Delores L: Meh, Chemistry schmemistry. I was always going to fail it, I don't know why I bothered taking it. I'm glad you're starting to like KaiLee!

Animeobsession: It does! Chocolate cake is a very strange invention, used to make people high on sugar!

Ellen: No, you did review, the site just went a bit funny. And yeah, Mariah's going to screw everyone around.

Curtis Zidane Ziraa: Error? Mariah? Nope. And she doesn't even know Lee's gay yet...

Mini-Murderdoll: Thank you! I'm glad you like it so far!

Rejiita: Poor Rei. But it's pretty good for Kai!

Naka the blood-red Cherry: Thank you for leaving such long reviews! A lot of people have said that I write the hatred gays face very well, but I always put that down to living in a town where the word 'gay' is a common insult- 'meh, that's a gay tree'. It escapes me how a genderless tree can be gay, but still. My town is very unforgiving towards gays, so I understand that kind of situation very well.

Super Chicken: It sounds like a good idea, but as a rule I don't do requests, and I'm AWFUL at writing sci-fi. I'm glad you suggested it to me over others, but I'll have to say no. The last time I tried to do something sci-fi it was so bad I was ashamed.

Helen: But I had to kill him off at -some- point... The only character I use a lot in fanfiction who I haven't killed off so far is Bryan, I think... -Bryan runs and hides from evil Yazzy-.

* * *

"Kai?"

"Mm?"

"I made you breakfast..." Kai looked up, puzzled. His room was red...so why was the pillow he was using blue? "Um...would you mind telling me why you came and invaded me in the night?" Ah. Now he remembered. He scratched his nose as Lee sat down beside him.

"I had a dream. I think I love you."

Lee choked on the mouthful of orange juice he was drinking, and Kai had to rub his back before he regained the power of speech. "W-What did you say?"

"I said 'I think I love you'."

"Um?" Kai looked up at Lee, still confused by his feelings, then, out of instinct more than anything else, kissed Lee firmly on the lips. "D-Do you mean it?"

"Yes." Lee blushed, a fine band of pink spreading across both of his cheeks. "I love you. Do you love me too?"

"...I think so. But...what about Rei? I...would feel guilty to think that somewhere up there he might be watching us..."

"I think he would want us to be happy. Don't you? Rei wasn't selfish, you know that, you knew him just as much as I did. Besides...he told me not to spend my time crying about him. I wouldn't defy his wishes like that, especially not...if I managed to find someone I could love as much as him."

Kai looked over at the plate of pancakes on the bedside table, then dipped a finger in the syrup, lifting it to Lee's mouth, inviting him to take it. Lee took hold of his wrist, holding Kai's hand still as his pointed tongue darted out to lap up the sweet juice. Kai smiled. Another difference. Rei had been a sucker, not a licker. Stifling a laugh, Kai shook his head. Taken out of context, that sounded incredibly rude...

He became suddenly aware that he was no longer sitting upright, and that there was a warm weight pressing down on his stomach. He looked up and saw that Lee's eyes were ablaze with passion and he looked...almost predatory... The neko-jin leaned down, and Kai thought Lee was about to kiss him, when Lee carried on down and-

"Oh..." Kai sighed with pleasure as Lee bit his neck gently, then moved down to his shoulder, lapping up the spilt blood as he split the skin.

"Kai..." Lee looked uncertain. "Are you still comparing me and Rei? Because..." Kai pressed a finger to Lee's lips, silencing him.

"No. I'm not. Not any more, anyway. Because..." He smiled. "I've realised...how different you both are..." He pulled Lee closer, so that the neko-jin's head was resting on his collarbone. "You know...Rei never wanted to be seme...I've always wondered what it's like to be an uke..." Lee swallowed.

"But...I couldn't-"

"Why?"

"I...I..." Lee raised his head, blinking. "Do you...really want that?" Kai didn't reply at first, only pulled Lee into a dizzying kiss, before pulling back and gazing up into Lee's eyes.

"Make love to me, Lee..." Lee swallowed nervously, hearing his own whispered, lustful words.

"I don't know if I can..."

"Try..." Kai breathed, feeling his pulse start to race. "Please..."

* * *

"Master Hiwatari?" Kai jumped awake.

"Hnuh?"

"Master Hiwatari, there is a young woman here to see you and your guest, sir. I did not think it wise to show her in directly, given your...ahem...current state." Kai looked up at his butler in total puzzlement, then realised where he was, who he was with, and what he was, or rather was not, wearing. He sat up, sought out his clothes and pulled them on in record time, all the time wondering who it was.

When he was satisfied with his appearance, he leaned over and kissed Lee's temple, then left, following his butler to his study downstairs. His hand rested on the polished handle of the door for a second before twisting it and walking in, surrounded by the comforting green of the decor. However, the person in the room clashed horribly with the peaceful green, dressed as she was in a pink jacket, pink trousers, and pink shoes.

"Mariah?" Kai was torn between shock and rage. How dared Mariah come here?

"Where's Lee?"

"Excuse me?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Kai, I know he's here!" Mariah cried, standing up.

Kai glared. "Did I deny that he was here? No. I was merely wondering why you spoke to me so rudely. Lee, for your information, is probably still in bed." Suspiciously, Kai glared at Mariah. What did she want? Was she going to get Lee murdered as well?

"Probably?"

"Yes, probably. I am afraid I cannot tell you the intricacies of your brother's life here, because I am out most of the time. What exactly do you want here, by the way?" Kai's voice was taut and his polite words strained.

"I want to see Lee!"

"You want to, do you? Well I want never gets. And someone like you most certainly never gets. Feel free to look for him, but also know that there are four floors to this house and some five hundred rooms, and about a thousand corridors. Happy hunting." He turned, walking towards the door, but Mariah grabbed his arm.

"Don't go! I need to see him!"

"Why? Are you going to find some way of getting him killed as well?" Mariah looked puzzled.

"What? Why would I do something like that?"

"I don't know, but I do know that it's YOUR fault Rei died!"

"It wasn't!" Mariah cried, voice shrill. "He said it wasn't!"

"Bah!" Kai wrenched his arm out of Mariah's grip and stalked away.

"Father's dying!" Mariah yelled after him. "He wants to see Lee before he dies!"

Kai paused and turned. "Your father was the one that killed him...how can you expect me to have any sympathy for him, or for you? Lee and I...have gotten closer. He told me everything that happened before...before Rei..." Kai was forced to admit that his acting skills were nothing less than perfect. But he knew that he would continue to act and lie if that meant he could protect Lee. He could still bring to mind how Rei had looked, covered with blood and unmoving, and knew how easily that could become Lee. He wasn't going to let it happen a second time.

Mariah looked at him for a few seconds longer then burst into tears. "None of us wanted him to die! Please! Let me see Lee! Just for a few minutes!" Kai felt himself wavering.

"Fine, but when I tell you to go, you go!" He snapped. Mariah nodded and followed him back up to Lee's room. On the way there, Kai's mind was working overtime. How could he stop Mariah from finding out about him and Lee? After all, if he just walked in, Lee was likely to kiss him, or hug him, especially if he was only half awake still...

As they got to the door of Lee's room, Kai thought of the perfect solution, one that would suit the haughty host he was playing. He rapped on the door. "Lee, your sister is here to see you. Are you dressed?"

"Um...yes..." Kai opened the door and Mariah ran in. Lee was standing by the dressing table, looking puzzled, even more so when Mariah ran over and flung her arms around him. He looked at Kai over the top of her head, mouthing 'Does she know?' Kai shook his head, and Lee looked heartily relieved.

"Mariah? What are you doing here?"

"Lee, it's father! He's ill!"

"Oh."

"Lee, he wants you to come home! He says travelling is all very well, but you have to go back!" Lee sighed.

"Mariah...it's not that simple any more. I've started a new life, I don't think I could go back that easily."

"But Lee, he wants you to take over for him! The tribe has to have an assassin, it's -traditional-!" Lee's face paled and he pushed Mariah away.

"Never!"

"But-"

"NO! I'll never do what he does! Ever! You can go back and tell him that! I watched him kill the best friend I ever had and I'm not going to do the same to other people!"

"Lee...you would disobey his dying wishes?" Mariah looked slightly horrified, but it was lost on Lee.

"Yes, I would!"

"Mariah." Kai spoke loudly, and Mariah turned. "You should go."

"No! Lee, you have to come back!"

"Mariah, I said no, and I meant no." Lee backed away, then walked over to Kai. Kai looked at him questioningly, shocked as Lee wrapped his arms around his waist. Mariah's mouth dropped open. "You-!" She pointed at Kai. "You've turned him!"

"Mariah, he didn't 'turn' me! Why do you think I left home? It was because I didn't want to end up strung up and knifed to death, and I couldn't face it that Father would be the one who would have to do it!"

"How can you? How can you do this to us all? It was bad enough with Rei but now you!" Lee growled, a ferocious snarl that left his lip curling.

"How dare you? How dare you come here and demand that I become a killer, and then condemn me for being what I am?" Kai watched, horrified, as they lapsed into shrill, angry Chinese, screaming at each other. They carried on like that for a couple of minutes before Mariah struck Lee across the face. Lee's head snapped back and he touched his cheek before giving an angered roar and slapping Mariah as well. "GO ON THEN! TELL THEM!" Mariah screeched with rage and launched herself at Lee, only to be met by the barrel of a gun.

"Calm down." Came a haughty, cold voice. Mariah glared up at Kai, hissing. "He told you why he's not coming home. Go and grass him up if you want to. But I'll warn you, if anyone comes here, -anyone-, there will be trouble. For the first part, all of my staff have guns, and all of them know how to use them. Secondly, I'm going to warn my grandfather. There will be surveillance. There will be plain-clothes assassins on the premises. I won't let you destroy another thing I love."

He clicked his fingers and the butler appeared. "Escort her to the gate, please." With a nod, the butler led Mariah away. Kai turned to Lee, tucking the gun back into his pocket. "Lee...are you okay?" Lee's fingers traced over the four bleeding scratches Mariah had carved down his face. He was shaking visibly, and as Kai watched, his legs gave out from under him and he collapsed to the floor.

With his twitching hands, Lee reached up and ripped off the necklace he always wore before hurling it away. Kai understood the gesture; the necklace was the only thing Lee had kept of the clothes he'd had when he'd come to Kai. The shirt, dark red, the trousers, black, all of them new, but Lee had kept the necklace, to remind him of home. With Mariah's rejection, he in turn rejected his family, and his home.

Kai knelt down beside him, stroking Lee's hair as he cried, tears hitting the floor, staining the carpet with dark circles. "She said...she said she's going to tell them..." He choked out. Kai cupped Lee's abused cheek and tilted his head up, kissing him softly.

"Don't worry."

"But...but my parents...my grandparents...maybe it would be better to go back..."

"No! You know what's waiting for you back there!" Kai yelled. Lee looked into his eyes and Kai could see guilt and fear glaring out of Lee's gaze.

"Why should I live when he had to die? If it's a crime, we both committed it, so why-? If it's not right...is it wrong? And if it is right...then why did they-? Why did they kill him?" Kai put a finger over Lee's lips.

"If I'd known what he was going back to, I wouldn't have let him. And I won't let you. Not any more. Not after..." Kai swallowed. "Because I love you." He leaned forwards and crushed his lips to Lee's, fingers seeking out the buttons of Lee's shirt and opening them one by one, hands worshipping the smooth skin beneath, pushing Lee down until his back hit the floor. "I love you so much..." He whispered. "Can I love you, Lee?"

"Oh God yes..." Kai kissed his way down Lee's neck and stomach, making the neko-jin writhe and moan.

"This is right, isn't it? You can feel it..." He moved back up, straddling Lee's taut stomach and leaning over him. "Love isn't wrong. Not like this. You shouldn't have to die for loving someone. Even if people don't agree...it's what you believe that counts." Kai took a deep breath before continuing. "Can I make one last comparison between you and him, Lee?"

He waited for a nod before speaking again. "He always cared more about his family and his dignity than he cared about his own feelings. He was too absorbed in everyone else to find time for himself. I think he knew what would happen when he went back, in some way... Don't do that to me, Lee...don't go back there just because your parents would want it. Don't do it because it's the right thing to do because it isn't!" His eyes filled with tears as his voice dropped to a whisper. "It isn't..." A single tear spilled over, trickling down his cheek to land on Lee's skin as he pressed himself against the neko-jin's chest. "Don't leave me, Lee..."

"I...oh God, Kai..." Lee sat up, holding Kai tightly against himself. "I...I know I shouldn't go back...but..."

Next Chapter: The last, unfortunately, and it's more of a sort of epilogue than a chapter. If I give you too many hints it'll spoil it, so I'll just say that...someone gets a letter.

R&R please!


	6. Chapter 6

AIE! I had maths today, and it was a big pile of...of...can't swear to much, this is t-rated after all...it was a pile of EXCREMENT! But I came home to find all those squishy happy reviews, and they made me chuffed again! Ooh, and this is the last chapter! Another fic over, and another to begin...

Ellen: Lee the loser! Oh, that made me smile! Thanks for the review...thanks for always reviewing my stuff, I really appreciate it!

Tenshi-Tara: Whether or not you can use the idea depends on how similar your story is. I'm very picky about people using my stuff since someone plagiarized me before, so make sure it's VERY different from my story or I won't be too happy. I know that sounds harsh, but that's a pet hate of mine. I had a lot of trouble with a plagiarizer, so noe I'm very protective of the things I write. Feel free to kill Rei off, but after that...not too similar, okay?

Endoh Chiaki: Well, here's the update! Hope you like it as much as you liked the others!

MikeyWaysgirl: Ah, but Rei told her not to feel guilty, so she thinks she can be a bitch again. I don't like Mariah very much, can you tell?

Rejiita: I probably will, now that I've seen how cute they can be together. Thing is though, I love so many pairings, it takes a while to get round them all!

Animeobsession: I'd read the fic, but it doesn't come up on my search function...it's Beyblade, right? Or have I been looking on the wrong section? What's the name of your joint account, or is there a link to it off your account? I looked, but there isn't one, I don't think...

Curtis Zidane Ziraa: I feel a strong urge to go and write something where Kai commits suicide, now... And you'll have to read on to find out if he goes back! But, as a note, though my fics are generally very angsty, I always give them a happy ending!

* * *

Mariah looked down at the letter in her hands, puzzled. It was from an address in Russia... Hold on a minute...Russia? She ripped it open and a folded sheet of paper fell out, fluttering down to land on the dusty earth. She crouched down and picked it up, desperate to read what her brother had to say. She'd told the elders about Lee, and what he'd done and said...was he coming home? Had he finally gathered back enough of his pride to face his fate with dignity?

_Dear Mariah, and whoever else happens to read this,_

_You know I'm gay, and I'm not going to make any excuses about that. I'm happy as I am. To be honest, I'm not writing about that. Well, I am sort of, but not entirely. I'm just writing to confirm that I'm not coming home. Ever. If any of you want to see me, my new address is on this letter. If you're that desperate, send me a letter telling me when you're coming. Don't just turn up uninvited, the alsations don't like that..._

_Hm. Well. That's really all I have to say, only... You're all going to think I'm a coward for staying away, but I'm not stupid- if I come back, you're going to kill me, and forgive me if this sounds strange, but I don't want to die. Not yet, anyway. You probably think I've given up my dignity and honour, but I think your opinion on that depends on how you look at it. The real reason I'm not coming home isn't really to save my own skin- it's because Kai doesn't want me to have to suffer like Rei did._

_I was all set to come back and face you all, and take the punishment for my so-called 'crime', but he stopped me. He told me that if you have any pride, you should be proud of the love people feel for you and the love you give them, and never deprive them of that love._

_Tell Mother and Father that I'll miss them, and if Father is already dead then give my condolences to Mother. I hope everyone understands why I couldn't take over from Father, and why I'm not coming back. Maybe I'll write from time to time, but I'm not coming back to the village ever again. I have too many painful memories of it. From now on, maybe it would be better for you to forget about me. Remembering won't do anything for you. If you're interested in knowing, I'm happy here. I still haven't gotten used to the Russian weather yet, but Kai doesn't mind having to warm me up every now and then. I'm trying to teach him to cook, but it isn't going very well. He doesn't have the nose for it._

_Yours,_

_Lee._

_PS: Go back through the parts mentioning Kai and pretend he's a girl. Pretend he's a girl forever if you must, but please...I'll be happy when you find someone you love- you're my sister, after all- so maybe you could try being happy about the fact that -I've- found someone. I know it's hard to accept, but if you could come and meet Kai, maybe you would change your mind? Oh well. Don't feel as if you have to. Anyway, I'll have to go, Kai's burning dinner again..._

_

* * *

_

Many miles away, Lee was stirring a pan of chocolate sauce distractedly. "The letter'll be there by now...do you think she's read it?"

"I don't know. How would I know?" Lee stirred a little more vigorously.

"Do you really think I should have sent it? It was a bit...harsh..."

"Lee, it's fine. Don't worry about it. You aren't going back there, so why does it matter?" Kai caught hold of Lee's arm as he continued to abuse the sauce. "Hey, calm down, you'll ruin the sauce- we'll never eat if we both screw up the food..."

"I know, I know, it's just..." Kai prized Lee's hands from his cooking utensils and took them in his own, squeezing gently.

"I know it's hard, but you promised me you'd stay."

"It wasn't...it..." Lee sighed. "It would be nice to see them all again one last time, that's all."

"One last time and then you die?" Lee shook his head.

"Kai...I'm not going to go back. But...I'll miss them..."

"I could help you forget, if you want..." Kai said flirtatiously. Lee blushed slightly and looked down. Kai moved closer, voice dropping to a whisper. "We could just forget dinner for the moment...we can always come back to it later..." He reached up a hand to stroke Lee's cheek and then found himself bent back against the worktop.

He opened his mouth instinctively and Lee's tongue moved into it, making Kai moan and writhe, pressed up against Lee too tightly for comfort. Speaking of comfort... "Oh..." He sighed as Lee moved slightly to accomodate for the bulge that had taken up residence in his trousers, then flipped Lee round, pushing him up against a cupboard and rocking against him shamelessly, hands fumbling Lee's shirt out of his way, too absorbed with desire to worry about ripped clothes or popped buttons.

Lee gasped as Kai's searching fingers impacted with his nipples. "I'm getting a bit...of deja-vu here..."

"Oh no...this time we're staying in here..." Kai whispered, continuing his assault of pleasure on Lee's body. "I'm sure I can find something interesting to do with all that chocolate sauce..." He kissed Lee passionately, wanting to be finally sure of one thing:

"Stay with me, Lee..."

"Always..."

fin

* * *

Well, there's another one finished. The next thing I post will probably be Mr. Kon (sequal to Mr. Hiwatari). It's AU, but hey. Kai's a hot young teacher and Rei does parkour- what more could you ask for? Well, a lot actually, but you know. Anyway, R&R please! 


End file.
